Okay, Exhibits might not be the right word. Exhibits are things you can't touch or go near. These are more like having your own personal research labs and creative workshops. And the best part - there are more than 150 of them to get your hands on and your head around. Create your own experiments. Test your own prototypes. Build your own inventions. Immerse yourself in new experiences using the hottest high tech tools. Your biggest challenge? Where to begin the adventure.
MathAlive!
Now open through September 1
Discover the most exciting math-based exhibit ever! MathAlive! makes its first-ever stop in New England this summer at the Connecticut Science Center,
bringing an incredible mix of hands-on activities, challenges, and games to answer the perennial question,
"Will we ever use all this math they're teaching us?" Get ready to discover the endless applications of math in the real world.
You’ll create a skateboard, control a Mars rover, design and play your own video game, and more!
KidSpace
Designed for grade 2 and under, KidSpace invites children to use all their senses to observe, question, explore, experiment, imagine and discover – practicing skills at the heart of lifelong science learning. Waterplay, the gallery’s signature exhibit, invites experimentation with water and colored balls as they travel through vortexes and fountains and are lifted by laminar jets. “Search and Find” activities by children’s book author Walter Wick celebrate close observation and the delight of discovery. Pre-schoolers and their caregivers will find a cozy spot in the reading nook to curl up with a good book.
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Forces in Motion
Levitate trains. Test pilot new helicopter designs. Race against gravity. Freeze time. For some, it might take several lifetimes before one could accomplish all of that, but here you can do all of that and more as you explore the physics of motion through a variety of interactive activities that investigate motion related phenomena while testing your skills against those of other visitors. Welcome to the world of X-treme engineering.
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Sight and Sound Experience
nspired by the technology which makes the visual arts accessible to those who cannot see, and the science that brings music to those who cannot hear, the Sight and Sound Experience gallery becomes your studio in which you discover the surprising mathematical patterns inherent in music and art. In this laboratory of artistic expression you will use your eyes, ears, emotions, and full bodies to hear, see, and feel the energy forces behind all light and sound.
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Exploring Space
Step beyond the light lock entrance of this gallery and enter into a dark and dramatic abyss of the spectacular and the unknown. Here the Moon, Mars, galaxies, solar systems, remote planets, and the rest of the universe await your exploration. Experience the cosmos by using the scientific tools and technologies that have been developed to help us accomplish our space related missions, and satisfy our intense human curiosity about what lies beyond planet Earth.
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Invention Dimension
Learn how to “think outside the box” and notice how invention often involves taking something from one context and adapting it to new and different uses. Use your observational skills to predict cause and effect in chain reaction ball machines inspired by Rube Goldberg. Combine new and existing inventions to create a new form of transportation. Explore Connecticut’s rich history of ingenuity, invention and innovation and the stories of the scientists, engineers and technicians who made them possible.
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Picture of Health
Unravel the mysterious inner workings of the human body in this gallery to discover how much of our health and well being is a matter of choice, and how much is a matter of chance. Experiment with choices you can make every day to determine how much of an impact they have on your physical and emotional well being. Examine the powerful (and often surprising) connections between your own mind & body, strength & flexibility and diet & exercise. Get under your skin with the latest medical technology to discover how science is helping detect, diagnose, and treat illnesses, adapt injuries, and provide information to help everyone make healthier choices.
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Sports Lab
n this stadium of scientific discovery, everyone can be an athlete in body, mind, and spirit. The sounds of cheering and applause will encourage you to push, pull, pedal, touch, observe, examine, and analyze the connections between body and mind and how they each impact our performance in everyday activities, and in competitive athletics. Explore each of the stations of activity and friendly competition where you can experiment with designing equipment, gear, techniques, and life choices to maximize speed, power, and safety. In the process, you’ll learn a little more about the inner athlete in all of us.
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River of Life
Follow the sounds of flowing water to this gallery where you will encounter the Connecticut River - from some unique and perhaps unfamiliar perspectives. Dive deep into the river’s past starting at its Ice Age origins, and then journey through time into the modern era where you can assess how our every day human activity has had an impact on the life of this river and all the ecosystems it sustains. Employ tools from biology and chemistry to collect information on the current health of the river, and reflect on the possible twists and turns the life of this river might take as it flows on with us into the future.
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Planet Earth
Earth is a living planet with countless stories to tell about its rich history. For those willing to observe a little more carefully, planet Earth also has some cautionary tales to offer about its uncertain future. In this gallery you take on the role of geologist, meteorologist, environmentalist, and paleontologist to explore our home planet from its atmosphere down to its core. Using the same scientific tools and techniques that these scientists use, you can discover the stories Earth has to tell by learning how to “read” the changes in its soil, climate, geological formations, oceans and atmosphere. How will you impact Earth’s story?
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Energy City
Wind turbines. Solar panels. Hydropower. Fuel cells. Biomass products. These are just a few of the alternative energy technologies you can try out in this gallery. Play “energy watt” pinball. Calculate your personal carbon footprint. Add up the savings of certain “smart energy” behaviors. Tour this virtual city to measure the effect of your energy uses and how they impact the planet. And don’t forget to see the Climate Change Show adjacent to the gallery. This one-of-a kind experience presents the serious and contemporary challenge of climate change in a fun and humorous way, complete with a spectacular thunderstorm.
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